Bartlet reads Harry Potter
by Glacier-to-be
Summary: Refrigerators are not working in the west wing, (unrealistic though it may be) and that leads to things...
1. Default Chapter

Summary: So far just the beginning… anyway it's a surprise.  Bartlet reads Harry Potter.

Disclaimer: WW characters arent mine, neither is Harry Potter stuff…. Capiche?

Notes: Um… had to get this out of me.

Jed smiled at his wife, hoping she would forgive him. He gave her his best puppy dog expression, but her icy glare was unremitting. He inched closer towards her, a pleading look in his eyes.  But she was still being the Ice Queen.

"Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?" He asked, they were both ready for bed, and he hated ending the day in a fight. Especially over such a trivial matter, like… Eating the last of her Chocolate Ice cream.

Ok, okay. It wasn't such a trivial matter.

"Get me more Ice-cream. Now.  That's what you can do." She sat down on the sofa.  Jed's hands were sweaty, and it was unnaturally hot in their room.  Despite his favorite boxers and loose T-shirt, he was decidedly uncomfortable in this heat.  Apparently so was Abbey.  Which was probably why she was so angry at him.

 Air conditioning was broken.  It was the middle of July in Washington DC.

"I _can't!_" He said, "The only reason why I ate your ice-cream was because it was going to melt. The refrigerator's are broken." She glared at him.

"That's _no _reason to eat _my _ice-cream."

"Ok!" He exclaimed, losing his temper.  "I'll get you some Ice-cream."  

Abbey looked at him suspiciously.

"How?" she demanded.

"Abbey!  You just ordered me to get some ice cream, and now you're insinuating that I lie about my abilities to get ice cream. Fine I just won't get you any ice cream."

"That made absolutely no sense."  She told him after a moment trying to work out what had just transpired.  "This is what I want: Ice cream. And I want it NOW."

Jed sighed, "Alright." He went over to the door of his office and bellowed, "Charlie!"

No one answered.

"Charlie!"  

The young man hurried through the door, a thick, fat, blue book in his hands, partially hidden behind his back. 

"Yes Mr. President?"

"Could you get me," Abbey glared at Jed, "_and_ Abbey some ice cream?"

Charlie rolled his eyes, "Did you eat her ice cream again?" Abbey narrowed her eyes.

"Again?" she demanded.  Charlie looked from Jed's exasperated face to Abbey's suspicious angry face and decided not to say anything.

"You know, sir, that the refrigerator's in the White House aren't working, and it might take a while…"

"I don't really care. Just get us some ice-cream." Abbey said grumpily.

"Ok, I'll send someone."

"Thank you Charlie." The president said, and watched as the young man left.  He noticed that Charlie's finger was still in his place in the thick blue book he had been reading, and his curiosity got the better of him.

"Wait a minute Charlie," he said.  Charlie turned around to face his boss. "What are you reading there?"

"Harry Potter, sir," he replied evenly.

"Hmm…Sounds vaguely familiar.  What is it about?"

TBC


	2. 2 days later apparently

Not such a good continuation, but I had to write something! Here goes.

[2 days later, air-conditioning is back on, and tempers are cooling.]

"Donna."

"Hmm?" Donna said without moving her eyes from her book. For once, Josh was not yelling, but it was only because he was directly in front of her.

"What are you reading?" 

"Same thing I was reading last time you asked." She read the same paragraph for the third time since Josh had entered his office 2 minutes ago. With a sigh, she closed the book, swiveled Josh's chair around and faced him.

"You didn't tell me then either," he pointed out.

"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire." He stared at her for a moment, and then laughed.

"You're following that Harry Potter craze. Man. I can't tell you how many letters the White House has gotten from angry Christian extremists asking for the books to be banned."

Donna grinned; relieved he wasn't teasing her about the books, yet.

"You should read it Joshua. You might learn something." 

"Ha."

"Suit your-self," she smiled, and went back to her book. Josh raised his eyebrows, was that all Donna was going to tell him? Suit yourself? She wasn't going to defend the book with her strange quirky logic? 

"Remember you work for me." He warned her as he turned to his memo, "I don't pay you to read Harry Potterus."

"LUNCH break is now."

**

11 pm.

"DONNA!" 

"Yes, oh Lord You-Know-Who." She appeared suddenly at his doorway.

"At least you've stopped calling the president Bumble door-knob—or something. Do you need a ride?"

Surprised, Donna nodded, and grabbed her coat, book, and purse.  

***

"…So, the President and Charlie think that one of the twins will die, but I don't think so. I hope it's not Hermione or Dumbledore…"

Josh had zoned out ages ago, but upon hearing 'President' he perked up.

"What? The President's reading Harry Potter? Why?" 

"Well apparently Charlie was reading it, because his cousin recommended it for light reading, and the President asked him about it. Well, the president read it in Latin, but still."

"Harry Potter is in Latin?"

"There's a version of it in latin… yes…"

"God. I'm surrounded." He muttered under his breathe. Donna was still talking about the book.

"…and CJ likes Harry Potter's teachers the best. Snape and Professor McGonnagal in particular. The books are frustrating! Can't anyone ever listen to Hermione?"

"Donna," Josh snapped. "Please, you're driving me crazy. REALLY."

Donna blinked. 

"Sorry, I'm kind of on auto-talk right now. Don't mind me. I'm a little tired." 

They drove in silence until her apartment.

"It's fine," he said giving her a tentative smile, "I'm sorry I snapped."

"It's fine," she said before slamming the door.  Josh rolled down the window as she walked up to the door.

"Donna, do you have the first book?" 

She turned abruptly.

"What?"

"I'd just like to take a look at it tomorrow…" 

Donna's frown turned into a smug grin.

"Sure, I'll bring it tomorrow. See-ya Joshua."

"Bye Donna."


	3. 3 Three weeks later: Leo's office

Disclaimer: not mine.

"What is going on here?" 

Margaret looked at Leo with a mildly surprised expression on her face.

"What are you talking about?" She asked calmly.

"This!" Leo snapped, and then waved a familiar thick blue book in front of her face and dropped it on her desk.

"What about it?" 

"Why is this book in my office AGAIN for the fifth time this week?" 

"It's Monday," Margaret pointed out, "The week just started." 

"I _know._" Leo responded darkly. 

"I didn't put it in your office Leo, you just had a meeting with Josh, ask him." She advised and returned to her computer. 

Leo grumbled darkly, gave her a look, then left.

"Wait, Leo!" she called out.

"What." 

"Did you find a present on your desk this morning?" 

"I didn't look." 

"Ok." She said, then muttered as her boss made his way to yell at Josh, "He shouldn't start with the fifth one, I should tell Donna to tell Josh and who-ever else that I've got the situation under control."

**

"Hey Sam." 

"Hey Margaret. Did I leave a book in Leo's office?"

"Was it thick?"

"Yes…"

"Blue?" 

"Yeah."

"A boy on the cover with a lighting shaped scar?"

"Yes! May I have it back?"  

"Does it have Harry Potter in the title?"

"Yes." Sam looked at his hands and avoided her glance. 

"Here you go Sam," she said finally, and handed him one of the blue books from the top of a pile underneath her desk. 

He grinned and grabbed the book, then checked the back.

"This isn't mine," he told her, "mine has a blue sticker on the back. I think this one is Josh's…" 

"Here then, is this one yours?" She sighed and picked up a different book.

"No, this one is in Latin."

"This one?" She handed him yet another copy.

"Yes! Thanks Margaret." 

"Leo's kind of pissed, so be careful about leaving the books in his office now. Do you know what's going on with that anyway?" 

Sam cringed. "I think everyone's trying to get him to read the 5th book in Latin."

"What?" 

"The president is offering a reward to whoever can read the 5th book in Latin. And we've been placing bets on who will read it, and a lot of people say Leo's the only one who could do it, besides the president." 

"How will leaving copies of the fifth book in his office tempt Leo to read it in Latin? He hasn't even read the first!" 

 "Well…" Sam looked surprised, "I think everyone assumed he already had. That changes things. Anyway, I didn't leave mine on purpose."

"Well, I just gave him the first book, if we're lucky he'll read it."

"Great!" Sam said enthusiastically. "I'm betting on him too. What about you, are you in?"

"Well… It's going to be hard to make him read the books, it's going to be harder to get him to read the books than it was Toby… but…alright, 20 dollars on Leo." 

"Ok." Sam took out a little notebook and wrote something down. "Bye Margaret." 

"Wait, Sam, what do you think about the book so far?" 

"Not bad. I like Tonks. Tonks is hot."

"Oh god." 

TBC…


	4. THe games begin

[The following week, Oval Office.]  
  
"Charlie!"

In the adjoining room, Charlie frowned, closed a notebook and went to the door of the Oval Office.

"Yes Mr. President?"

"Come in here my boy." Charlie came in warily. "Close the door, please." He closed the door.

"Mr. President?"

"You may call me Dumbledore."

"Ahem... okay. Do you need anything, sir?" Bartlet looked pointedly at Charlie. "....err, Dumbledore."

"Yes, it's about Harry Potter."

"Is he coming for dinner?"

Bartlet looked at Charlie disapprovingly.

"So, Charlie, tell me. People are betting on who will read it in Latin, aren't they?"

"Well they were, but then everyone realized the only one who could read it was—"

"Leo."

"Leo, yes. So now everyone is betting on when Leo will read it."

"Ahh. I see. Who's is charge of the pool?"

"Actually, I am. Jointly with Donna."

"Put me down for next Wednesday."

"That's in three days. You are aware that Leo hasn't even begun the books in English."

"I know." Bartlet replied with a dangerously determined and mischievous look.

"Okay." Charlie was impressed. Two aides had placed their bets on that day, but had considered their money lost. "Two others are down for that day, so you need to be more specific. What time: morning, afternoon, or night?"

"By the first senior staff meeting."

"Is there anything else, Mr. President?"

"Could you get Leo in here?"

"Yes sir. But remember, no cheating. You can't tell him about the pool, and you can't threaten to fire him either."

"That is all, Charlie." Charlie left the room, and called Margaret to ask Leo to talk to the president, wondering who would win.


End file.
